Some reasons why few diets are successful, especially long-term, & 4 ways to lose weight this year without going on a diet!
Of the Top 10 New Years Resolutions from 2019, #1 was “Lose Weight / Healthier Eating”. I expect this particular resolution is in the top 3, if not #1, year over year.
It’s widely believed the most popular way to lose weight is to diet. While the tides are starting to shift, the diet industry is still worth about $70 BILLION dollars. Everywhere you look, especially around the holidays, there are different programs that promise quick results. Many rely on the “calories in, calories out” model, & require participants to track themselves & their food.
What many know from experience is that few diets are successful, especially long-term.
Here are a few reasons why:
- Even with fancy apps & watches, all the measuring, tracking, weighing is a lot of work for over-scheduled, busy people. Dieting adds stress when most of us are already chronically stressed. Stress causes the body to hold onto fat. Such tracking also works with our intellectual / logical brains; it doesn’t address the emotional reasons why we might be overeating, binge eating, or making poor food choices.
- A diet that works for some is often widely shared as a successful method. However, we’re all different physiologically & psychologically; we have different lifestyles & may be in different phases of life. Dieters usually try to fit into someone else’s model, & they ultimately shed it because it feels unnatural.
- Diets typically require a level of willpower that’s not practical. They deprive us of the foods we love, the foods that give us pleasure because they look, sound, & taste wonderful. These foods provide us with more than just calories: they provide us with love & nourishment. No wonder we crave them!
- Losing weight and feeling great require looking at more than just what we eat. To be successful we also have to look at how much we move and how well we sleep.
Here are 4 ways you can lose weight without ever going on a diet:
- Slow down when you eat. If you’re a fast eater (&/or you multi-task while you eat), slowing down & taking a real break, and being mindful could be your best ticket to weight loss.
- Maintain a healthy eating rhythm. Having meals and snacks regularly throughout the day keeps your energy replenished, and prevents evening / late night binges that can also interfere with sleep that night.
- Eat macro-nutrient balanced meals (& snacks). Every time you eat, have some protein, carbohydrates, & healthy fats. Ideally, you’re also consuming high-quality, organic, whole foods.
- Improve the quality of your sleep. Many studies show the connection between sleep deprivation, weight gain, and metabolism. You may also be surprised at how much of an impact sleep can have on your ability to eat healthy. Learn about 7 of them here.
One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well. –Virginia Woolf
